Lesson 1: Introduction

Testimony and Teaching

Hello and welcome to the Setting Captives Free Weight Loss course. My name is Mike Cleveland, and I will be walking with you as we study together, learn together and worship together.

Just a little background: I have struggled with my weight my whole life; it was like riding an elevator up and down but never being able to get off at the right place. But finally, as I’m writing this to you, I’m at my ideal weight and maintaining.

In this course, I will share with you what God has taught me about weight loss, which can be summed up in this phrase: “applying the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The gospel changes our hearts and desires, which then enables changes in our actions and habits. It’s an “inside-out” change!

The gospel is not a diet, doesn’t require us to change by self-effort and is not focused on what you eat, calories in/calories out or weighing on a scale.

Rather, the gospel does its work in our hearts which provides spiritual power. "Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 AMP). Having this power of God applied to our eating is truly wonderful.